Don't Call It A Comeback
I'm back. Not a comeback. Just a return from taking the last year off. Time I was fortunate enough to be able to take. Time that was needed. I go through hundreds of pieces of news, editorial, social media, video, and audio every day. Not gonna lie, the last few years of that have been rough. Division, venom, doom scrolling. It can take its toll. And it was at a time when I needed to see "about a girl." The full story, a sort of fairytale (for me), I'll tell in the next few weeks. But the short of it... I met someone. I wanted to give the relationship a chance and not use my stock and trade "I'm too busy" excuse. Fast forward, in all the upheaval, fear, and uncertainty of the last year - I got engaged. There is so much of 2020 I want to forget. So much I have to force myself not to forget. But the one thing that got me through was my PIC, LIZ. I came out ahead even against a global pandemic that scared me into seclusion to protect me from some of my comorbidities. While ironically finishing all of NETFLIX and POSTMATES that rendered me temporarily worse.
2020 was a year of personal reckoning. The year I stopped pretending. Facing my naivete. The destabilization of what I thought I knew. Where I thought our country was. The basic ideas I thought I had in common with those I disagree with. The differences I didn't know I had with those I generally agree with. My intolerance for the intolerant. Priorities shifting. Desperate to unlearn and learn. Fighting not to put my head in the sand. Debating enforced ignorance as a defense mechanism. And yes, the realization that some of your friends who are adept with data and had some sort of venture success seem to think they were also issued an honorary COVID-19 scholar badge during quarantine. "A Beautiful Mind" it isn't. But the time off did allow me to take a breath and think rather than react (though my TWITTER posts at the time would contradict that). 2020 accelerated change in media, technology, and culture at a click I have not seen in my lifetime. Business and usage models changing and challenged on a quarterly basis. Years of discussion of decentralization now becoming a reality. It's an exciting time to come back and digest.
The return to publishing comes at a time when I am as cynical and worried as I am hopeful. I'll be slowly and deliberately getting back to 5 days a week. Monday thru Friday. But with a little more thought and a little less anger. But ornery as ever. Trying to get back to the basic tenet of why I started REDEF.
REDEF makes your mind move. Read, watch and listen to the stories, people and ideas that matter. We DJ the internet and deliver daily mixes of fresh ideas. We search each day to find different angles and points of view that lead to deeper understanding. Industry insights, great stories, big thinking, and pop culture. Stay competitive. Challenge what you think you know and are interested in. Learn something new each day.
When I was a child, my mother told me to always ask "why?" when I didn't understand something. It was a directive she slightly regretted towards the end of her life. Early on, she took me to museums and films. We read newspapers and discussed articles, watched the same tv shows, and debated afterward, sparking in me an endless curiosity that was only satiated by the emergence of the internet - a place I could search and browse endlessly, learn at my own pace and enter into discussions about ideas. These moments with my mother, and others like them, inspired me to create REDEF.
We create interest remixes for curious minds. An interest remix is a curated information stream with a specific industry focus wrapped with pop culture nuggets. We're not too interested in the fact that something happened, but we're super interested in what it means, how it affects us, and different perspectives on the topic.
This is not a daily news site or newsletter, nor is it an algorithmic discovery engine. We hand-pick everything you see on REDEF. We utilize technology to hunt and gather, but our editorial decisions are our own. The internet is infinite, full of more mind-expanding content than one could ever hope to absorb; we're here to help narrow it down.
REDEF is about curiosity. Helping you be more informed so you can take ideas with you. Apply them at work. Share them with your friends and colleagues. Have lively, useful, and positive discussions about them. It's not enough to be smart, you have to be curious.
Great to be back. I missed this but I've been thinking. Coming soon... The 300 shows and films I watched during quarantine. The year of the creator. NFT realities and insanities. Disinformation and personal accountability. Personal cyber-security. The new self-interest stack. The necessity of diversity in storytelling. How movies and TV affect our perception. Streaming service table stakes. Theaters and concerts. The era of the over-educated idiot. The REDEF Podcast and more...
Catching Up
A few weeks ago I sat down for a 2-part podcast with HOWARD LINDZON. We discussed media, careers, life, friendship, the future, the past, coupled with a ton of purposeful name-dropping and storytelling. We had a lot of fun and even Howard speaks. Join in here. Part 1 - Part 2. Available on most podcast platforms.
The Case of LL Cool J's Induction Into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
This is not my first rantnrave in a year. Last week I published some thoughts in our sister publication, MusicREDEF.
"Without music, life is a desert." I've had an almost lifelong love affair with the music and culture of hip-hop. Now, hip-hop is undeniably the leading music genre in the world. The story of this art form is incomplete without the contributions of JAMES TODD SMITH aka LADIES LOVE COOL JAMES aka LL COOL J. He is a key pillar in the history of hip-hop. He took that success, talent, and fame and utilized it as his passport into other areas while continuing to release music for decades. LL has been nominated six times for inclusion in THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME. In 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2019 and now 2021. I've been honored to be able to vote for years now. I've voted for him before. Everyone nominated deserves to get in. And this year is a tough one.
MARY J. BLIGE, KATE BUSH, DEVO, FOO FIGHTERS, THE GO-GO’S, IRON MAIDEN, JAY-Z, CHAKA KHAN, CAROLE KING, FELA KUTI, LL COOL J, NEW YORK DOLLS, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, TODD RUNDGREN, TINA TURNER, DIONNE WARWICK.
LL Cool J is hard as hell. Just ask Hall inductee CHUCK D. His tweet says it all. This isn't an awards show, it's the history of an art form. And that history is incomplete without him. LL Cool J deserves to be in THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME. Read my essay. And check out LYOR COHEN's case for LL.
Happy Birthdays
LEE EISENBERG, JENNIFER SHORE, JORDANA CARMEL GETREU, MELISSA HIRSCHHORN RANDALL, SONIA OCASIO, and KEITH RICHMAN.